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Jodason · 05-08-2013, 05:04 AM

Circumstances cause me to leave our new Interstate unattended for three weeks this summer in a mostly sunny location. I have the option to use a 20 amp receptacle but prefer not to. Security isn't the issue. The refrigerator will be empty and off. My question is how would you leave it. Best to plug in or not, roof vent, windows, switches etc.

Skater · 05-08-2013, 05:43 AM

Three weeks? Don't worry about it. Close it up, lock it, and let it go. It'll be fine. I used to leave our B190 regularly sit for months on end (i.e., winter) with nary a problem. I sometimes go 3 weeks without driving a certain car or getting in our trailer, too, with no special preparation.

If it has a 3 stage converter you can keep it plugged in to keep the battery charged, but otherwise I wouldn't.

Protagonist · 05-08-2013, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jodason

Circumstances cause me to leave our new Interstate unattended for three weeks this summer in a mostly sunny location. I have the option to use a 20 amp receptacle but prefer not to. Security isn't the issue. The refrigerator will be empty and off. My question is how would you leave it. Best to plug in or not, roof vent, windows, switches etc.

If absolutely everything is shut off, you should be okay, especially if you've got a rooftop solar panel. Since I still work for a living, I regularly have to leave my Interstate (with solar panel) parked for two or three weeks at a time between trips and don't have to worry much about depleted batteries.

The solar panel is wired directly into the house batteries, so you can leave the main disconnect switched off and the solar panel will still charge the batteries if you're parked in a sunny spot, as I usually do when I store mine.

If you don't have the solar panel, use the offered 20-amp connection, and have everything turned off except the inverter, which sould be set on "Charge Only." There are some parasitic draws that can't be shut off, and the batteries will drain, at least somewhat, in three weeks without a charging source.

Pull the chassis battery disconnect down by the accelerator pedal. There are parasitic draws on the chassis battery, too, and you don't want to come back to a vehicle you can't start. I can't do that on mine because of the alarm system I installed, so I added a small solar panel that I suction-cup to the inside of the windshield and plug into the "always hot" 12v power outlet on the dashboard (not the one that turns off when you shut off the key) to ensure that the current drain from the alarm system is replaced by the panel.

As for windows, leave all tip-out windows closed (mostly to prevent breakage), but leave the roof vents open (fans off) to vent excess heat. The MaxxFan has a rainproof cover that works very well, and if any rain drips in through the bathroom vent, it will drain into the gray tank as long as the drain stopper is left out.

All window blinds should be closed.

If you have a windshield cover or windshield sunshade, use it. The privacy curtain that Airstream provides doesn't do anything to keep the windshield from acting like a greenhouse window.

Leave as many doors, drawers, etc. as possible open to allow air to circulate freely into the cabinetry.

A pan of scented (clean) kitty litter makes an excellent dessicant to absorb excess moisture inside the unit, and if placed directly under the roof vent, will trap any water that is blown under the rainproof cover by high winds.